Wine without the Whine

Sponsor Story--You’re at a table in a nice restaurant with someone you want to impress…or at least not embarrass.

Then the waiter hands you the wine list.

Your eyes scan the prices, not the wines, because it’s the only thing on list you really understand. Pinot Noir? Burgundy? Viognier? Wouldn’t it be nice if the process of choosing, drinking and talking about wine wasn’t daunting, but fun?

“It can be intimidating,” says Alicia Wilbur, Wine Director at Larchmont’s Vintage 1891, and one of the least intimidating people you’re likely to meet. “It’s such an expansive subject. And in the dance and mystique surrounding wine, it can be easy to forget it’s simply an agricultural product.”

This is one of the reasons Vintage 1891 will begin offering wine classes. Please call for more information.

“We are definitely drinking the best wines in history right now, because we understand so much about the process, the soil, photosynthesis, yeast, and how each stage can be manipulated,” Alicia says. “And it’s so much fun to learn.” Styles, regions and grape varieties will be covered as well.

“Alicia has phenomenal knowledge and she’s passionate about wine making and production,” says Vintage 1891 General Manager Michael Madden. “We want her to give people the tips and tricks they need to navigate a good wine list.”

Such as:

* The meaning behind the rituals of wine service (hint: it’s not pretentious, but necessary.)

* Why sniffing a cork tells you nothing.

* The healthiest wine, that with the most resvervatrols, comes from Languedoc region of France.

We’d tell you more, but that would spoil the surprises to come.

Not too long ago, the New York Timescalled the wine list here “first-class” (and credited the establishment with bringing some nightlife out here.) Sign up for wine classes at Vintage 1891 by calling 914.834.wine (9463) or wine@vintage1891.com and enjoy the wine even more.

From time to time theLoop does stories about it sponsors, such as Vintage 1891.